California Mayor Blasts Plan to Help Migrants Buy Houses

The mayor of El Cajon has criticized a program that helps people buy their first houses, including migrants.

Californians can apply to the California Dream for All Shared Appreciation Loan, which offers eligible buyers a down-payment loan worth up to 20 percent of the purchase price.

Read more: First-Time Homebuyer Grants: How to Get Help Paying for Your First Home

Loans offered under the program do not accrue interest and do not need to be repaid in monthly installments. Instead, borrowers repay the original amount of the loan, along with 20 percent of the increase in the home's value, when it is sold or the mortgage is refinanced.

This bill does not exclude undocumented migrants and, in January, Democrat assembly member Joaquin Arambula introduced a proposal to specify that those applying for the program "shall not be disqualified solely based on the applicant's immigration status."

El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells seemingly criticized this policy in an interview with Nick Sirley, an online content-maker who describes himself as someone "here to show the reality of things as they are."

Read more: How Much Down Payment Should You Put Down for a House?

While discussing how El Cajon is affected by border crossings, Wells said: "The county of San Diego already spent $6 million on a migrant welcome center, which I'm not sure why we need that. But they've just allocated another $19 million for that.

"But, you know, there are also costs that you don't see. You know, everybody that comes across, whether they're a citizen or not, is entitled to full healthcare – that even includes having sex change operations, that's an expense for the whole family.

"People who come over with kids are put up in hotels (...) and that's paid for by the city.

"So, these are expensive things. Now, there's a bill in California that says that if you're an illegal alien, you can get free college tuition, even a 20 percent down on a house. These are things that American citizens are not getting."

American citizens can indeed apply to the California Dream for All Shared Appreciation Loan program, it was specifically set up in 2023 to help low- and middle-income earners.

But Wells is correct that the County of San Diego set aside $6 million in funds for the nonprofit SBCS to operate the Migrant Welcome Center in San Diego, which was supposed to help with street releases in the area.

However, this money ran out in February and the center was forced to close, local outlet KPBS reported at the time.

California was one of many places that used hotels to get people off the streets during the Covid pandemic and this included migrants. This practice has continued as a temporary measure to deal with the influx of migrants from drop-offs.

The shelters are usually run by Catholic Charities of San Diego and the Jewish Family Service and have long been under significant pressure, according to several local media reports, including Spectrum News 1.

San Diego does not give free tuition to undocumented migrants specifically, but it does offer in-state tuition rates and financial aid opportunities for those who qualify under the California Dream Act.

Newsweek has contacted Wells' office, via email, for any further comment on this.